Shloka 53
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
अभिगम्यार्जुनं वीर राजभिरबहुभिव॒त: । पुरस्तात् पृष्ठतश्चैव पार्श्वतश्चैव सर्वतः,अनेक राजाओंसे घिरे हुए उस महारथीने आपके पुत्रोंको साथ ले युद्धमें वीर अर्जुनके सामने जाकर उन्हें आगे, पीछे और पार्श्रभाग--सब ओरसे घेर लिया और जैसे बादल सूर्यको ढक लेते हैं, उसी प्रकार बाणोंसे अर्जुनको आच्छादित कर दिया
abhigamyārjunaṃ vīra rājabhir bahubhir vṛtaḥ | purastāt pṛṣṭhataś caiva pārśvataś caiva sarvataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Surrounded by many kings, that mighty warrior advanced to face the heroic Arjuna in battle. Bringing your sons with him, he hemmed Arjuna in from the front, the rear, and both flanks—on every side—then covered him with a dense shower of arrows, as clouds veil the sun. The scene underscores how, in war, numerical strength and coordinated encirclement are used to overwhelm even a single renowned champion, raising the ethical tension between collective force and individual valor.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic and tension of kṣatriya-dharma: coordinated, collective tactics (encirclement by many rulers) are deployed to subdue a single great warrior, testing ideals of fair combat, valor, and resilience under overwhelming pressure.
Sañjaya reports that a leading warrior, surrounded by many kings and accompanied by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, advances against Arjuna and surrounds him from all sides—front, rear, and flanks—then inundates him with arrows, likened to clouds covering the sun.